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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

REVEALED: Gps giving antidepressants to children against guidelines | Rare Historical Photos

GPS NHS Mental Health NIHR
Family doctor's surgery files
Family doctor prescriptions for antidepressants for under-18s have been linked to the long wait many young people face before treatment with NHS child and adolescent mental health services. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

GPs are breaching medical guidelines by prescribing antidepressants for children as young as 11 who cannot get other help for their mental health problems, new government-funded research reveals.

Official guidance says that under-18s should be given the drugs only in conjunction with talking therapies and after being assessed by a psychiatrist.

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